Mail-box.



R. S. HOMAN.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED IIILY II. I9I7.

1 245,7 1 9. Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R. S. HUMAN.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. I917.

1,245,719. Patented N0v.6,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- II I I III ROLAND SCARLET HQMAN,-0.I: GHINO, CALIFORNIA.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 11, 1917. Serial No. 179,935.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROLAND SCARLET Hoimx, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chino, in the county of San Bernardino, State of California, have invented a new and useful Mail-Box; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in rural mail boxes.

One of its objects is the provision of a mail box which rural mail carriers will be enabled to open and close without having to leave their mail wagons.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a mail box having compartments for stamps and letters and a relatively large compartment for papers and magazines.

.Still another object is to provide a mail box having a top capable of being raised and means connected with the top whereby the latter is retained in a raised position while letters and papers are being transferred to the box, the means retaining the top in a raised position being capable of tripping to effect the lowering of the top.

Other objects will appear in the detailed description which follows.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be confined to the exact construction herein disclosed, the right being reserved to make any changes or alterations falling within the scope of what is claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention and the style of post on which it is designed to be supported.

Fig. 2 is a section on'the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 1 but shows the top of the box raised.

Referring to the drawings, the box is shown supported on the post 1 having an extending arm 2 at its top, the latter being braced by a diagonal member 3 fixed between it and the post 1. The box is supported on a bracket 4 to which it may be secured in any suitable manner and the bracket is in turn attached to the post 1 but on such a s1de of the post that the box will, project therefrom at right angles to the plane of the projecting arm 2;

The box comprises the bottom section. 5 and the top section 6 which is hingedlyconnected to the bottom section by hinge members 7 The top section 6 being of substantially the same depth as the bottom section, it is necessary that the box be positioned away from the post 1 to permit the raising of the top, and the box, therefore, is attached to the bracket 4 in such a manner as to permit a space to intervene between itself and the post 1, as shown in Fig. 1. At the front of the box a hinge hasp 8 is provided and secured to the front of the movable top section 6. This hasp cooperates with the staple 9 fixed on the bottom section 5 and provides the meansfor locking the box when it is so desired. At the top of the hasp 8, there is formed an eye 10 to which a rope or cable 11 is attached, this cable passing over pulleys 12 secured at either end of the projecting arm 2 and terminating in a knob 13 by which the top or cover section 6 maybe raised. A spring ll may be interposed in the cable 11 between the eye 10 and the first pulley on thearm 2, this spring giving resiliency to the cable, if it is desired to add sucha quality to the cable. It is to be observed thatthe slot 15 of the hasp 8 is designed to be made long enough, so as to become easily detached from the staple after the padlock (not shown) has been disconnected.

At the forward end and to one side of the bottom section 5 two small compartments 16 and 17 are provided, the former for letters and the latter for change, stamps and the like. The compartment 16 is of the same depth as the bottom section 5, but the compartment 17 is made comparatively shallow with its upper edges flush with the upper edges of the lower section 5, as shown in the section in Fig. 2.

On the front and two sides of the box, beading 18 is attached to the lower edge of the cover section 6 and this beading overlaps the bottom section when the two sections are together and serves to keep the top section in alinement with the bottom section.

A compound lever is provided for keeping the top section in an elevated position after it has been raised by pulling on the Patented Nov. 6,1911

cable 11. This compound lever comprises a bell-crank lever 19 pivotally mounted on a screw 20 attached to one side of the cover section near the back end thereof. At the end of the long arm 21 of this bell-crank lever a second lever 23 is pivotally mounted on the stud The shorter arm 24 of the lever 23 overlaps the arm 21 of the bellcrank lever 19 and has secured to its end a plate 25 disposed at right angles to both. The plate 25 is attached on the under edge of the lever 23, extending across the lower section 5 of the box on the interior but having a projecting end 26 which extends across the arm 21 on the lower edge. A flat bowed spring 2'? is suitably attached to the under edge or the arm 21 and presses upon the projecting end 25 of the plate 25 and thus operates to keep the lever normally in alinement with the arm 21 ot the bell-crank lever 19. A pin 29 fixed in one side of the cover section 6 and to one side of the pivotal connection 20 is adapted to contact with the short arm 28 of the bellcrank lever 19 to limit the movement of the latter on one side of its pivotal connection. A depression 30 is formed in the bottom of the lower section and the free end of the lever 23 is adapted to engage this depression when the cover section 6 is raised and when the short arm 28 of the bellcrank lever is in contact with the pin 29.

The box may be easily opened by a rural carrier while remaining in his carriage, the operation of pulling on the cable 11 s rving to raise the cover section 6. The upward movement of the latter allows the compound lever (composed of levers 19 and to turn on its pivotal connection 20, the end of the lever 23 dragging along the bottom of the lower section until it falls in the depression 30 formed therein. The cover section 6 is then retained in an elevated position, since the arm 21 and lever are held in alinement with the spring 27. The carrier may then place his mail in the box, placing letters in the compartment 16 and packages in the large compartment. The last package or paper to be placed in the box may be thrown upon the plate 25, thus tripping, the lever 23 from the depression 30 and permitting the cover section 6 to drop. The tripping operation is accomplished as a result of the manner in which the levers are assembled and mounted. The long arm 21 of the bell-crank lever is precluded from downward movement because of the short arm 28 being in contact with the pin 29 but the lever 23 is permitted movement on its pivotal connection 22 against the pressure of the spring 27, the latter yielding from the weight imposed upon it by throwing the package upon the plate which, moving downward, moves the short arm 24: down ward and releases the end of the lever 23 from the depression 30, when the top section 6 drops restoring the levers to the position shown in Fig. 4.

lVhat is claimed is:

A box adapted to receive packages and the like comprising a bottom section and a top section hingedly connected together, a bell-crank lever pivoted 011 the top section, a straight lever pivoted to one arm of a bell-crank lever, a plate attached to the straight lever and disposed at right angles to the length thereof, the bottom section having means to be engaged by the straight lever, the top section having means limiting the movement of the bell-crank lever, and a resilient device holding the straight lever and bell-crank lever normally in alinement, w iereby the top section may be held elevated when raised or lowered by tripping said straight lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of t wo subscribing witnesses.

ROLAND SCARLET HOMAN.

Witnesses E. R. YUNDT, HUGH lV. Srinns.

Home! 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

